West African presidents open talks with Burkina's military leader

A delegation of West African presidents opened talks with Burkina Faso's new military leader on Wednesday. PHOTO: Twitter/ IB Times

The meeting was to plot a path to a civilian-led transition in the wake of the resignation of long time ruler Blaise Compaore last week.

Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama, the current chairman of the West African regional bloc ECOWAS, met briefly behind closed doors with Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Zida, who was appointed as interim head of state by the army on Saturday.

Zida has announced the suspension of Burkina Faso's 1991 constitution in the wake of the mass demonstrations that forced Compaore to resign on Friday after 27 years in office. Demonstrators had taken to the streets on Thursday when Compaore tried to force through parliament a reform to allow him to seek re-election next year.